Since 2022, the Japan Foundation (JF) has implemented the Japanese Studies Fellow Conferences in Tokyo and Kyoto, with the aim of promoting the creation of networks among Japanese studies researchers, including the current JF Fellows in Japan. In 2025, the conference was jointly organized by the Japan Foundation (JF), Tohoku University Center for Integrated Japanese Studies (CIJS), and Tohoku University International Graduate Program in Japanese Studies (GPJS) as a networking event aimed primarily at fostering personal connections between researchers from Southeast Asia and those from other regions.

Networking in Sendai

At the conference held at Tohoku University in Sendai on November 8, 2025, JF invited Dr. Leng Leng THANG, Associate Professor at the National University of Singapore, to give a keynote report on “Japanese Studies as a Space for Dialogue: Cases from Southeast Asia.” Subsequently, we invited Dr. Ajjana THAIRUNGROJ—currently serving as CIJS Assistant Professor and a fellow for fiscal year 2021—as well as other faculty members from CIJS, to speak on the theme of “Transborder Japanese Studies.” In the afternoon, as part of an effort to deepen cross-regional dialogue beyond Southeast Asia, we held presentations by JF fellows and graduate students from Tohoku University, along with discussion sessions. Participants were divided into small, interdisciplinary groups, where they engaged in lively exchanges on the possibilities and challenges of Japanese studies in the world to come. Together with the networking events held the following day at Matsushima and Shiogama, the conference provided an opportunity to deepen understanding of the current state of Japanese studies in various countries and to build new relationships among researchers. After the event, many participants commented that it had been a highly meaningful and productive experience.

Related Page

2025 Japanese Studies Fellow Conference in Kyoto (Go to the official website of the Japan Foundation (JF))